moving in concert.
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, Fancy?” he asked as she moved into his
arms. “Singer, dancer, bull rider.”
Ana laughed. “Don’t you like surprises, Hawks?”
“Depends on the surprise. How ‘bout you?”
“Well, I’d love being surprised that you know how to do more than stand here and
sway, cowboy. We’re supposed to be dancing.”
“Then dancing it is,” he said and pulled her closer.
Chase definitely knew how to dance. Within a few seconds he had Ana’s blood
singing in her veins and her body rubbing on his hungrily. “You’re doing this on
purpose,” she whispered when he leaned down and kissed the top of her bare shoulder.
“Doing what, Fancy?”
“You know what.” She nipped at the side of his neck. “Making my blood run hot.”
Chase drew back to smile at her. “You’re a fine one to talk.”
She raised her eyebrows in question and he chuckled. She snuggled up tight,
grinding her pelvis against him in such a way that he damn near lost the beat of the
music. “You keep that up and we’re gonna have to go home and start that fire,” his
voice rumbled sexily against her hair.
“Promise, promises,” she teased.
He broke away from her and looked around for his brothers. “Time to ride, boys.”
The brothers were not ready to leave and Ana was feeling mischievous enough to
side with them. In the end, they and the rest of the diehards closed the bar. By the time
they got back to Chase’s ranch, all of his brothers had to be wakened to stumble into the
house.
The short walk revived them, and when Ana said her goodnights they were all in
the den, drinking beer and talking.
Now the house was quiet. Ana eased her way through the den, where all of Chase’s
brothers were sprawled out asleep. Caleb on the couch, Cole in the recliner and Clay in
the easy chair with his legs stretched out on the ottoman. She did not see Chase
anywhere and wondered if he had given up and gone to bed. She stood watching the
sleeping men, thinking.
59
Ciana Stone
His brothers were an interesting lot. Cole was not as boisterous or rowdy as he put
on. Ana had been given a glimpse of his serious side when they were cleaning up after
dinner and he volunteered to dry the dishes. Cole’s family did not know that he was
studying forestry and wanted to work as a ranger for the state park system. As much of
a party animal as he pretended to be, he was more like Chase than he let on, feeling a
need for solitude and quiet.
Clay was the opposite in almost every respect. He was loud, energetic and filled
with a craving for excitement. He’d been secretly a part of the rodeo world for more
than a year. Bull riding was his thing. He and Ana had gotten into a long, animated
discussion about it at the bar and she encouraged him to pursue his dream, even if his
father did not understand it. He had his own path in life and if he let someone else
guide it, in the end he would be unhappy and resent that person into the bargain.
Caleb was a mixture of all the others. He was as excited about partying as he was
about entering college in the fall and studying to be a large animal vet. His father
wasn’t keen on his choice of career either, but Caleb figured he’d either come around or
learn to live with it. He’d wanted to be a vet since he was five and wasn’t going to let
anyone stop him. If his father didn’t want to pay for his education then he would take it
out of the trust fund left to him by his mother.
Ana had gotten the scoop on all the family from the brothers. She knew Chase had
not liked them telling her about the family. She could feel his tension.
Chase’s mother, Charity, was Charlie’s first wife, an Apache girl who had fallen in
love with the rough and rowdy Charlie when she was in her teens. Neither family had
approved of the union and tried to prevent it. Charity and Charlie settled it for
everyone by getting
“You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you, Fancy?” he asked as she moved into his
arms. “Singer, dancer, bull rider.”
Ana laughed. “Don’t you like surprises, Hawks?”
“Depends on the surprise. How ‘bout you?”
“Well, I’d love being surprised that you know how to do more than stand here and
sway, cowboy. We’re supposed to be dancing.”
“Then dancing it is,” he said and pulled her closer.
Chase definitely knew how to dance. Within a few seconds he had Ana’s blood
singing in her veins and her body rubbing on his hungrily. “You’re doing this on
purpose,” she whispered when he leaned down and kissed the top of her bare shoulder.
“Doing what, Fancy?”
“You know what.” She nipped at the side of his neck. “Making my blood run hot.”
Chase drew back to smile at her. “You’re a fine one to talk.”
She raised her eyebrows in question and he chuckled. She snuggled up tight,
grinding her pelvis against him in such a way that he damn near lost the beat of the
music. “You keep that up and we’re gonna have to go home and start that fire,” his
voice rumbled sexily against her hair.
“Promise, promises,” she teased.
He broke away from her and looked around for his brothers. “Time to ride, boys.”
The brothers were not ready to leave and Ana was feeling mischievous enough to
side with them. In the end, they and the rest of the diehards closed the bar. By the time
they got back to Chase’s ranch, all of his brothers had to be wakened to stumble into the
house.
The short walk revived them, and when Ana said her goodnights they were all in
the den, drinking beer and talking.
Now the house was quiet. Ana eased her way through the den, where all of Chase’s
brothers were sprawled out asleep. Caleb on the couch, Cole in the recliner and Clay in
the easy chair with his legs stretched out on the ottoman. She did not see Chase
anywhere and wondered if he had given up and gone to bed. She stood watching the
sleeping men, thinking.
59
Ciana Stone
His brothers were an interesting lot. Cole was not as boisterous or rowdy as he put
on. Ana had been given a glimpse of his serious side when they were cleaning up after
dinner and he volunteered to dry the dishes. Cole’s family did not know that he was
studying forestry and wanted to work as a ranger for the state park system. As much of
a party animal as he pretended to be, he was more like Chase than he let on, feeling a
need for solitude and quiet.
Clay was the opposite in almost every respect. He was loud, energetic and filled
with a craving for excitement. He’d been secretly a part of the rodeo world for more
than a year. Bull riding was his thing. He and Ana had gotten into a long, animated
discussion about it at the bar and she encouraged him to pursue his dream, even if his
father did not understand it. He had his own path in life and if he let someone else
guide it, in the end he would be unhappy and resent that person into the bargain.
Caleb was a mixture of all the others. He was as excited about partying as he was
about entering college in the fall and studying to be a large animal vet. His father
wasn’t keen on his choice of career either, but Caleb figured he’d either come around or
learn to live with it. He’d wanted to be a vet since he was five and wasn’t going to let
anyone stop him. If his father didn’t want to pay for his education then he would take it
out of the trust fund left to him by his mother.
Ana had gotten the scoop on all the family from the brothers. She knew Chase had
not liked them telling her about the family. She could feel his tension.
Chase’s mother, Charity, was Charlie’s first wife, an Apache girl who had fallen in
love with the rough and rowdy Charlie when she was in her teens. Neither family had
approved of the union and tried to prevent it. Charity and Charlie settled it for
everyone by getting
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